Relative To Time
by BuffyTheSlayr
Summary: Captain Janeway and Seven Of Nine must once again deal with the Timeship Relativity to ensure they and the entire federation continues to exist!There is also time for romance! Slash but with fade to black as I do not do smut. This was a NaNoWriMo entry.
1. Chapter 1

Relative To Time

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen all at once"

-E.M Rauch

1

James Ducane sat in his poorly lit ready room, reading various PADD's given to him earlier on that day. He chuckled as he read one of them and realized it was congratulations from his Aunt back on Earth. Somehow, one of his crew had slipped it into his work pile. The rest of the work was tedious and inane, in his view. While the Relativity sat on dry dock, time was flying by at rapid speed. Frustration was an understatement. Ducane wanted to vaporize the whole lot of PADDs (with the exception of his Aunt Carol's, of course) and take to the bridge and begin his missions, but that was not going to happen – yet.

The ready room door chirped quietly and Ducane was forced out of his thoughts, "Enter" he said firmly. He figured it was time to sound more authoritative. Ducane smiled when the doors swished open and his oldest friend stood before him. "Doctor! Glad to see you. Please come in." The Doctor, the original Mark I Emergency Medical Hologram entered the ready room with a broad grin, "James, I hear we have a new Captain. When we're you going to tell the rest of the crew?" Ducane shrugged and gestured to the Doctor to sit. The PADDS would wait but Ducane took one of the slim metal computers and tossed it to the Doctor. The Doctor caught it and gave Ducane a droll look, "More regulations from Starfleet?" Ducane walked to the replicator and ordered himself a strong espresso. "No, our next mission plus something else, which is why I am glad you decided to barge in on my briefing." The Doctor rolled his eyes and smiled as he read the PADD, "My, they are detailed in their wording. You would think these people were Rhode scholars and not Admirals who may of at some point in their magnificent careers scrubbed plasma off a warp conduit." Ducane shrugged and sipped his espresso. He sat down and waited for the Doctor to complete his analysis of the official news from both the Federation and Starfleet. It did not take long for the hologram to explode in a tirade of verbal rage. "Dear Lord, James! They want what?" He said with his usual bewildered expression. Ducane laughed and put down his cup, "Read on, my friend, there is more." The Doctor gave Ducane an odd look and continued to process the information. Ducane sipped his coffee and smiled.

"Okay, James, I am calm." The Doctor said with a grimace. Ducane could not tell if his Chief Science officer was happy, mad or in dismay. He never really knew. Some missions excited the good Doctor and others weighed heavy on his conscience. "So tell me what you think, and exclude the colourful words you have picked up over the centuries." The Doctor handed the PADD back to Ducane, leaving it on the desk as he stood up and wandered around the Ready Room he had grown to despise over the past six months. "James, I am delighted that they chose you as Captain of this vessel. I cannot think of another individual, organic or non-organic that could do the job better. I am very proud of you and your father would have been too. However, my problem is with Starfleet's notion of sanity, or better yet, your notion of sanity. How could you possibly put me down as a candidate as your first officer? I am chief science officer and head of the sick bay, is that not enough?" Ducane smiled as he sat in a chair once occupied by his previous Captain, John Braxton. Braxton was in the brig at Starfleet awaiting trial for attempting to disrupt the timeline. Disrupt was a kind word, destroy and conquer was how Ducane thought of it. "You don't want to be my Number One, Lt Commander Zimmerman?" The Doctor smiled when addressed with his proper rank and name, "Well, of course I want to be a Commander. For God's sake, James, I have been a Starfleet officer for almost 500 years, and I am still only a Lt Commander. I would be crazy to not take it but I feel it's not my decision nor is it yours." Ducane sat back and sighed heavily, "Doc, it's going to be a battle but one I am prepared to take on. They are trying to stick me with Lt Commander Elsafadi, the lackey of Starfleet. His reputation for carrying around the Starfleet manual and quoting it several times a shift is known throughout the fleet. They want him here because of what happened with Braxton. Nevertheless, we need freedom, and a little room to bend some rules. Hell, we cannot do anything properly if I have a Federation stooge sitting beside me on the bridge. You are my last hope."

The Doctor nodded as if agreeing that he was the only answer to the Relativity's existence, "When you put it that way, what choice do I have?" James Ducane laughed and tossed one more PADD at the Doctor, "Read this. It's why we need you, and why we need to get out of dry dock as soon as possible."

The Doctor held the PADD in his hands as he rummaged through the information with his holographic eyes. He inputted the data faster than any human could have and he knew it. Once the information was ascertained, he glared at Ducane, "You really want to do this, bring them here?" Ducane nodded and got up so he could get another drink of espresso. He looked over at the Doctor, who seemed to becoming a few shades of red in the face, and then he asked the Replicator for two glasses of brandy. He took the snifters and placed them on the desk, "Drink up, my friend. We should have a toast to new arrivals. New adventures." The Doctor stared at the brandy and perked up slightly, "Well, I suppose you know best." He took the glass in his hands and gave the brandy a long inhale, pleased with the aroma. He privately thanked Miral Paris for giving him not only the ability to experience all five senses, but the holographic digestive system that allowed him to eat and expel organic material like a humanoid. His goddaughter, dead now over 400 years ago, had been a brilliant engineer and pilot, just like both her parents. The Doctor had even named one of his children after Miral, paying homage to the little girl who changed how he viewed the world. He was brought out of his reverie by Ducane's voice. "I'm sorry James, what did you say?" James Ducane looked at the Doctor with amusement, "I said cheers, and I also said you are in command of the Relativity until I return from Starfleet headquarters. I have to make your case there before Elsafadi wanders onto the ship. Most of the crew is on shore leave, so just ensure the safety protocols are kept with a level 2-security and then report to T'Pok, and fill him in. Take those two PADDS and set a security code for them. I do not want this getting out until I talk to the senior officers and then the crew. Any funny business and my case will be down the Jeffries tube." The Doctor smiled, trying not to look smug, "Your ship is in capable hands, James. I will keep things in order, as always." James Ducane stood up and started to toss his PADDS into his old silver titanium Halliburton brief case. It had been a gift from his great, great grandfather on the day of his graduation from Starfleet. 'Double G' Grandpa Jim (as he was called) had used it for his guns during his time as a Federal agent with the former United States law enforcement agency. It held special memories for James as a child and he cherished it. Some of the finest security personal within the Temporal Paradox Division had developed a high tech padlock and security prototypes to make the brief case impossible to open. It was within this case that he had some of the most sensitive and classified information known to Starfleet. Time ships and their captains held many secrets, and they lived a lonely existence at times.

The Doctor watched Captain James Ducane walk out of the ready room and into the capable hands of two grim looking security officers, who would escort Ducane all the way to Starfleet's San Francisco office. The Doctor sighed and gave the ready room a look over, imaging how he would arranged the furniture if he had been given the command of the ship. He whistled an old Earth nursery song as he made his way onto the bridge, ready to do battle with T'Pok and anyone else who felt threatened by him.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Seven of Nine was working with quiet precision in her Astrometrics laboratory. She had her day planned out as per usual. Seven stopped working for a moment as she lightly touched the console interface and brought up her timetable on the small computer screen in front of her. Presently, she was working the last hour of her eight-hour shift in Astrometrics, and was tutoring Icheb. In turn, Icheb had invited Naomi Wildman so he could tutor her in basic algebra. Seven was annoyed to have her plans altered by a 16-year-old boy but what could she do. Looking back at her agenda, she noted that tomorrow she would have a 30.7-minute project with Ensign Kim and then an 18.4 minutes assignment assisting Lt Torres with a warp coil in engineering, and then her usual shift on the bridge at 2300 hours. Today, on the other hand, she had her study sessions with Icheb and then the day off since Chakotay had ordered her to take some time off after working several shifts back to back while assisting the captain with a science project on a Class M planet. All she had planned later today was a nutritional supplement in the mess hall and perhaps 'tinkering' at her alcove (as Tom Paris would call it) to attempt to perfect its efficiency. She had already perfected the efficiency of her regeneration alcove beyond any Borg technology and but was still hoping to present her findings to Captain Janeway later in the star date.

Discovering herself caught up in her own thoughts, she looked up and watched Icheb and Naomi converse and was pleased that they got along so well. Icheb felt like an offspring to her, while Naomi was one of her few true friends on board the ship. As she returned to her calculations, Icheb looked up and whispered to Naomi, "She's back at work now, we can talk – briefly". Icheb and Naomi were both sitting on the floor of the lab, a large picture of the delta quadrant having an unwieldy sight on the screen as their backdrop. Naomi was struggling with her math problem while Icheb held an ancient book called "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory". Captain Janeway, who had read it several times at the Academy, had lent the old battered paper bound tome it to him. Tom Paris said that Einstein himself has signed the book himself back in 1941 but Icheb knew better not to believe rumours. "I don't get this, Icheb." Naomi said in an almost whiny voice but she tried to hold her tone so she would not annoy him. Icheb put the book down delicately and took the PADD from Naomi, and sighed, "It's a simple calculation. You are missing the obvious''. He tapped the controls of the PADD and handed it back to Naomi, ''Look at it again from this view point.'' Naomi nervously took the PADD and stared at the revised version o the problem. She thought for a moment and smiled, ''Oh!'', she garbled happily and solved the puzzle. Icheb looked at it and nodded, ''Next time, you find the variable.'' Naomi gave Icheb a thankful smile and put the PADD beside her other finished work. Icheb was about to begin his pre-test for the temporal mechanics course Seven had tutored him in last week when his mentor looked up from her work and eyed them with suspicion. Seven left her station and walked with intent towards them. Both children cringed when as they watched her come towards them at almost warp speed. However, before Seven could utter a word, the quiet chirp of the laboratory's door sounded and the door opened. Kathryn Janeway, Captain of the USS Voyager, entered the tranquil room and looked around until she could see both Icheb and Naomi sitting under the huge astral screen. She smiled when she saw Seven, who had turned around quickly when she heard the door chime. "How are my future first officer's doing?" Janeway said happily, as she made her way towards the three. She found it amusing that all three had the looks of 'deer in front of headlights'. It still amazed her, after so many years in the delta quadrant; the crew still found her intimidating. True, it worked to her advantage at times, but mostly it made her feel isolated. She continued to smile even though she held these disheartening thoughts. Seven stood tall and instinctively held her hands clenched behind her back. She looked at the children and forgot why she even walked up to them. Icheb stood up quickly to show the Captain respect while Naomi waved at Janeway with a warm smile. "Captain, we are studying," Icheb said rather breathlessly. Seven nodded and gave the Captain her attention, "The Astrometrics Lab is quiet and facilitates learning." Janeway smiled, "Well glad to see the three of you working so hard but Seven's shift is almost over and I believe it's time for Naomi to have her dinner with Ensign Wildman." She looked at Icheb with a look of importance, "Icheb, it seems Lt Torres has been looking for you." She could not help but smile when she saw Icheb blushed slightly and stumbled over his usual colloquial speech, "Er...B'Elanna...er...I mean Lt Torres? Me?" Seven gave Icheb a stern look but he took no notice, for Lt B'Elanna Torres was looking for him, not Lt Paris. Before he could utter something silly, Janeway saved him and handed him a PADD from Torres, the Chief Engineer of Voyager. "I guess she has a situation she feels would be educational for you, something do to with the old slipstream drive we shelved a few months ago. Seven's eyebrow arched and she had a look of mild perplexity, "I was under the assumption that the slipstream drive was never to be accessed again. Has some new data surfaced that makes it a viable option for us to utilize?" Janeway shrugged noncommittally, "B'Elanna thought the actual mechanics of the slipstream theory would be interesting to Icheb. You don't mind, do you?" Seven felt her face burn with the annoying human response of blushing with embarrassment, "Of course not. I approve of any activity that will assist Icheb in attaining his goal of joining the Academy." The Captain smiled and slapped her hands together happily, "Wonderful. We all approve then. Naomi, it is time for supper. Please take your work back to your quarters so Samantha can see what you have accomplished. Icheb, Lt Torres will be expecting you in the mess hall in fifteen minutes." The children scrambled to gather their homework and scrambled out of the lab.

Janeway turned her attention to Seven of Nine, who had walked back to her console as quickly as she could and was now trying to access her schedule, buying time before having to address the Captain. "So, what are your plans tonight, Seven?" Janeway said cautiously as she moved in towards her Astrometrics officer. Seven looked at her shift report for the day and knew her day was complete. Really, she had nothing important to do and was taken aback with her lack of action. She looked at Janeway with surprise, "It seems I am available for extra activity this evening. I may seek out the mess hall and then..." Janeway interrupted her and held her hand up as to stop Seven from relaying her possible plans for the rest of the day, "Well Seven, it sounds as if you are in need of some fun. Come visit with me at holodeck two, and check out a little program I wrote." Seven was speechless, as she; usually joined the good Captain in a game of Velocity every Thursday at 1400HRs, but this was unusual. "Am I to assume this is not Velocity?" Seven said as she tried to busy herself at the console, avoiding Janeway's eyes. "Yes, you can assume that. It's a little piece of home I have been working on for awhile and I wanted you to have a look." Seven nodded, "I will assist, but is Lt Paris not available? I understand he is proficient with holodeck technology and the creativity that goes along with such skill." Janeway wondered if she would have to pull rank to get Seven to join her, but she thought a softer approach maybe required. "Seven, I am asking you to join me this evening, for drinks, on the Holodeck. No engineering degree is necessary. Just thought you might like a little 'R and R' as they say back home." Seven stopped fiddling with the controls and looked at the Captain, "R and R is the colloquial for rest and relaxation. I shall accept your invitation. When would you require me to assist?" Janeway shrugged and started for the door, knowing she caught Seven, hook, line and sinker, "2000 HRS will suffice. It is an Earth program, so wear something casual." Before Seven could respond, Janeway was out the door and out of Seven's sight. "Casual?" She muttered as she contemplated the term casual and who should she contact for assistance. Chakotay was out of the question since she had told him she was no longer interested in pursuing an intimate relationship with him finding it unsatisfying and rather dull. He had not taken the words well and Neelix had later explained that a man does not want to hear that he cannot satisfy his mate. Seven did not care and felt that she needed something more. And that more had just left the lab.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Starfleet's headquarters were nestled comfortably within the confines of Old San Francisco, it's home since it's earliest days. Ducane left the stately boardroom on the 78th floor, where some of the oldest officials within the Federation had grilled him for five hours. He had not seen so many Admirals and Commodores since his graduation day at the Academy. It struck him as odd that so many people were interested in the Relativity, the oldest of the Time ships within the fleet. However, he knew that it was not the ship or its crew that really mattered to them, but the mission they were to embark on. Admiral Timothy Paris had been taking copious notes during the briefing and had seemed quite interested in Ducane's choice of first officers. He knew where Paris came from and found it amusing that he asked so many indirect questions about the Doctor. "How is he" and "Is he married, again?" were inappropriate, he knew but no one stopped him from asking. General Mark Evers tried to keep the meeting formal and stiff but inane accusations and questions continued to bounce off Ducane like photon torpedoes. He had an answer for everything and data to back him up. The Temporal Integrity Commission asked the most questions and they were annoyed with the Starfleet officers, who were acting as if they were finding a prom date for Captain Ducane instead of choosing an appropriate candidate for the most important time paradox mission in 500 years. Commander Condor and his assistant Lt Gregory kept the personalities out of the mix and wanted assurance that Ducane and Lt Commander Zimmerman would be able to complete the mission with absolutely no paradoxes or incursions. They had little interest in discussing Elsafadi and his wonderful merits. They wanted the mission done, now.

Ducane was content with the conditions given to him in regards to how long they would take to complete the mission and who would assist them. They gave The Doctor a six-month temporary leave as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science Officer of the Relativity. He would be given a probationary Commander title and have all the rights and privileges of second in command until the mission was completed, or six months. Ducane was pleased and knew The Doctor would be pleased also. He understood why the Doctor was reluctant at first, knowing how Starfleet thought of him at times, but he also knew that the Doc had a large ego. An ego that spread through billions of gig quads of his massive matrix of memory and skills. Ducane hoped that The Doctor's wife would be as understanding, especially with her expecting their first child together. He wondered if Emily Zimmerman would balk at the mission but then he also knew she would never know of it and its repercussions. Time travels missions were privy to only the top officers on Relativity and family members and crewmembers with rank of Lt Jr grade and under worked as Starfleet crew and had nothing to do with the Time Integrity missions. They lived on a Star ship and served to keep it running. Occasionally a crewmember would disappear and Ducane and his officers would send the "letter" to Starfleet and let them know. The Temporal Time Commission would then research the individual's time line and decide if the loss was collateral or not. Most times, the lost crewmember would be forgotten, except for Ducane and The Doctor. They would have a brandy for the lost person, toasting their non-existence with a moment of silence.

His chief of temporal investigations, Lt Commander T'Pok, met Captain Ducane at the steps of Starfleet Headquarters. It was a surprise to him and he gave his officer a tentative smile, "What on Earth are you doing here, T'Pok?" The old Vulcan said nothing, but took Ducane's briefcase from him as they walked down the steps. "It has come to my attention that you have made your decision." He said quietly. Ducane looked around and noticed his "security companions" a few meters away from him, watching both T'Pok and himself. "This is not the time or place for this discussion, T'Pok, you are fully aware of this." The Vulcan nodded and they walked in silence to the secured transporters. The security officers maintained their distance until the transporters crew beamed the two officers away. Once gone, they sighed with relief and ran back up the steps of headquarters, as if they were racing from time.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Ducane and T'Pok arrived back to the Relativity in time for dinner. Once briefed as to how the ship was doing (not much since it was on dry dock), Ducane asked for The Doctor and T'Pok to have dinner with him at the Officer's mess hall. It was a stony silence at first, T'Pok, obviously not happy with The Doctor as second in command. Ducane knew why and understood. All good Captains could read the minds of their crew, sometimes.

They sat around the marble slab that served as their dinner table. It was an ancient relic from the Starfleet museum and was given to the Relativity as a gift for a particularly good mission they completed. The Doctor wore his new uniform, and was quite pleased with himself. T'Pok, out of respect, wore his dress uniform for the occasion. They ate in silence for quite awhile until Ducane started the conversation. "I know your feelings about this T'Pok, its best if we get them out of the way before continuing with dessert." T'Pok put his fork down, and wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin before addressing the Captain. His Vulcan mannerisms were typical, and although his short-cropped hair was peppered with grey, and he sported a neatly trimmed goatee, he was the visage of proper. "Captain, I have no feelings, as you call them, to express. You are completely aware of that." The Doctor rolled his eyes as he took another drink of his mulled wine. "T'Pok, let it all out. Please." Ducane said pleadingly. Lt Commander T'Pok sighed and looked at Ducane with tired eyes, "I grow weary of this all, at times, James. You are aware of my position on this ship. The integrity of the timeline is my life. It is all I have ever desired. I find the mission we are about to embark on to be unbalanced. I fear it will fail before it begins. Your choice of Number One is odd, but something I can accept. Nevertheless, to bring those two on board is foolhardy. They will not accept our regulations and I fear they will make matters worse." Ducane looked at The Doctor, "What do you think? You read the mission template while I was gone. Do you agree with Mr. T'Pok?" The Doctor bristled and found his ego wounded, as usual. He never saw eye to eye with the old Vulcan officer. "I think it will work. They were successful before and I think they will again. I have the utmost confidence in them and they will not disrupt the time line." Ducane chuckled, "That's very Starfleet of you, Doc, but tell us how you really feel." T'Pok almost smirked as he watched the Doctor. "We all know how Commander Zimmerman feels about our recruits. It is not a secret. In fact, all of Starfleet knows how he feels about them. One only has to purchase the// twenty third edition of 'Photons Be Free' to know all about the good doctor's cohorts." The Doctor stood up angrily and threw his napkin on the table, "Listen here, Mr. T'Pok, I'll have none of this nonsense. That was 500 years ago and a work of fiction. In fact, it was my first holo-novel, and amateurish at best. Let's not quote my later works, which are considered classics in the holo-genre!" Ducane glared at T'Pok while trying to calm the Doctor down, "Sit down, Doc. This is an informal supper but I expect you all to act accordingly. Now, T'Pok, that holo-novel was written years ago, and who even plays it anymore? Since the Photonic Rebellion, we don't have a lot of holographic sympathisers." Ducane regretted the words as they fell from his mouth. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The Doctor said angrily, pushing his plate away. "Am I to assume because I am photonic, that I am lumped in with that motley crew of idiots?" T'Pok sat back and sighed, "Please Doctor, cease this immediately. I am not implying anything. I merely am stating the obvious. Your past is coming on board this vessel. Will you handle it as efficiently as possible?" The Doctor looked at T'Pok with suspicious eyes, "I am a Physician first and foremost, and a commander. I will deal with this mission as I have dealt with them all. With distance and follow regulations as stated by yourself." Ducane looked at them both, "So have we settled this then?" T'Pok nodded as he started to eat once more. The Doctor shrugged as he lifted his napkin off his plate, "We are fine." Ducane grinned and poured more mulled wine, "Great. We leave dry dock at 2300 hours. All the crew are back on board, and at their stations. The mission will begin once we are at warp 6, and at least 6 billion light years away from Earth. I expect this will be quite an experience." The Doctor and T'Pok looked at one another and said nothing. They knew better than to say the last word.


End file.
